Microsoft Abandons Points Payments System in Windows 8 Final

As a result of this change, users will not be able to pay for music downloads or movie rentals or buy any digital content through the Points payments system any more. This mechanism was widely used by Xbox 360 users to purchase Xbox Live Arcade games, gamertag pictures, and other downloadable content. Users were able to buy 80 Microsoft points for $1 under this system.

The final version of Windows 8 doesn’t have this option any more as a default option. Users can still buy using the Points payment system but, Microsoft’s transaction mechanism defaults to credit card based system now. There has been no confirmation from Microsoft regarding this change officially. Also, as of now the default payment system for Xbox 360 consoles is still the Points system but, a change on the latest Windows 8 operating system means that a similar fate also awaits the Xbox.